Mindful Interest
by Queenkiwi
Summary: Humans are such strange creatures. It's no wonder demons are weary of them.
1. Sidetracked Mind

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Inuyasha.

_Authors Note_: I haven't written enough Kag/Sess! As a rabid fangirl I feel ashamed. So now I will try to atone for my sins (the author said, but she really meant to say that she's to tired to walk down the hall and head for bed…). This will be a short drabble/chapter story being told in bits and pieces if that makes any sense.

Now remember to have a wonderful day(or night)!

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**Mindful Interest**

_**Chapter One**_

**Sidetracked Mind**

The darkness did nothing to hide her from him as he once again found himself staring at her while she slept. She laid on her stomach using her arm as support. She had since long ago pushed her small pillow away in her sleep. It now lay useless and discarded on the dirty ground of the small clearing where they rested with the rest of the group. But he hardly paid the other members of the party any attention or even a thought. He wasn't even irritated at Inuyashas insistence of staring at him suspiciously from a tree branch. Since when, he wondered?

In the beginning he had studied them all. Analyzing them and their worth in the upcoming battle with Naraku. Now he found himself somewhat sidetracked by a miko.

He had no idea why it had to be her of all people. She was nothing special. Just another human like the rest. Only difference as far as he could tell was that she was a traveling miko who called demons her companions and friends.

At first he had assumed it was either for protection or necessity in defeating Naraku, but the more he studied her the more he realized that she _enjoyed_ their company and protected them just as much as they protected her. Even though she never stood up the chance of delivering a good _sit_ in the middle of battle to assist in a slightly painful and humiliating way. She always claimed it was for Inuyashas own good, but Sesshoumaru could smell her satisfaction. He assumed some would call it a tough love.

The slayer seemed to be the same with her suitor, so maybe this was normal human behavior?

But she was still a holy priestess destined to vanquish evil, which in some cases- _most _cases were demons. He supposed this is what made her stand out.

She didn't even seem to mind the fox kit constantly clinging to her skirt as if she was his mother. And how could she accept Inuyashas claim on her? But then again, humans and their lacking sense of smell wouldn't be able to detect the subtle scent mark the possessive half demon had placed on her, so it was possible that she just didn't know.

Inuyasha didn't seem to do anything right. How was he supposed to claim a woman when she was unaware of his intentions? Would he be content just sniffing around her and chasing away rivals for the rest of eternity? Without the females approval that was what he was looking forward to in the future if he didn't make it clear to her what he wanted. He really was a moron, but then again Sesshoumaru already knew that.

His attention was once again drawn to Kagome when she mumbled in her sleep. Flicking his gaze to the tree Inuyasha was sitting in he saw that he was fast asleep. Finally exhaustion seemed to have won.

His eyes glowed in the night as he watched her throw an arm over her head before partly rolling over.

Her face was partially hidden by her sleep tousled hair only letting him see a strange concentrated look before she turned away again. She smelled of anxiety and stress as she had for the past three weeks. Only when she dreamed did he get to sample this delicate mixture from her. He assumed that she had spent the first half of the night struggling with her nightmares again. She would always try to call someone in her sleep.

If it was because she was afraid or because she wanted to warn someone, he didn't know.

Even in her sleep she was fighting. He could tell from the flexing of her fingers. The will was there, but the strength was not. Priestess with demonic help or not, she was still a weak human. A frail looking woman with a much to fickle and naïve nature for the battlefield.

She was everything he wasn't and he couldn't help but to be repulsed by himself for thinking that maybe it wasn't such a bad thing.


	2. Taunting Tension

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Inuyasha.

**Mindful Interest**

_**Chapter Two**_

**Taunting Tension**

Today was the national day of sweating.

The kind were you just couldn't't help it if you were a walking flood of liquid stink. Humans usually go by the unwritten rule not to mention such things when it is blatantly obvious. Especially when the whole group is a victim to this delicate problem. Or maybe not so delicate, considering all but Kagome seemed more than capable of ignoring it like it was nothing. The sun was not a hindrance for them anymore than the tiniest bump on the road.

And so she was the only one not fully comfortable in her skin that day. But she was determent not to let anyone notice! She was not a whiner. Even though she occasionally stretched her arms over her head in a despite attempt to gain the favour of the pleasant breeze that would occasionally stop by to visit. The battle was ever ongoing as the sun slowly wore her down, and with her burning skin, it also killed of her will to go on.

Kagome was only hoping no one noticed.

Her arms swung awkwardly at her sides and it was an obvious fault to her otherwise carefree steps. But she just couldn't help it. Something was terribly off today and not even the exhausted atmosphere after their latest shard hunt was enough to make her relax her tense muscles. Though the sun was cooking her alive, she felt frozen to the core. When it came down to it, she assumed it had something to do with that strange nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach.

It felt as is something or someone was watching her.

Constantly.

Very sneakily she let her eyes slide over her shoulder to see the far back of the group. And still Sesshoumaru had the gall to stare her dead on in the eyes. Flustered she snapped her attention back to the road. Why? What was he looking at? Or sniffing at? Did she really smell that bad?

That demon had an uncanny ability when it came to making her uncomfortable. Even worse, he loved doing it. He was everywhere. Wherever she turned he was there, watching her. With a strange glint in his amber eyes, like that of a cruel human boy with a magnifying glass and an ant farm, he made her very nervous. The simplest of tasks, like pouring tea or making dinner at night, suddenly wasn't so simple anymore. She never used to be such a klutz, but lately she found herself tripping, spilling and moving jerkily at whatever she tried her hands on. And who wouldn't when there was someone who embodied perfection in the group- Staring at her.

It was irrational to think that Sesshoumaru was stalking her. He was travelling with them after all. Though it was odd he was still around.

In the beginning the group united temporarily to defeat Naraku, but after they did, Sesshoumaru stayed with them. He was Sesshoumaru, explanations were beneath him! Or so Kagome had thought. Yet he had deemed it necessary to inform her of the disturbance the remaining shard were causing even in the west. This was according to the lord, not acceptable. She should fix it. But she was only human after all, and he was the lord so it was only natural that he protect what is his. Thus he stayed with them to track the remaining bothersome shards down.

Still a small part of her couldn't't shake the feeling that something was not quite what it seemed.


	3. Confusing Revelation

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Inuyasha.

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**Mindful Interest**

_**Chapter Three**_

**Confusing Revelation**

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Out of habit he had stopped at the first whiff off a meadow by a cool stream. After a minor scuffle from the rest of the group, of course with a bit of complaining from Inuyasha, they had all gathered by the sweet smelling blooms.

Rin always seemed happy when she was picking flowers, so he hoped this would cheer her up. Her usually happy demeanour had slipped away during the day. She didn't even sing anymore! Sesshoumaru always took care of what was his, so this was unacceptable.

All of the humans were exhausted and seemed displeased in general today. The sun was the cause he supposed. Secretly he was hoping that the females in the group would insist on taking a bath and convince the males to take one as well. The smell was _not_ something he appreciated.

Being a full blooded demon, it took a lot more than a bit of sunshine to make him sweat. But _they_ needed to do something about their discomfort that ultimately led to his _own_ discomfort.

Just as he had hoped the women gathered their supplies and went to the stream. Inuyasha and Miroku resigned themselves to the fact that they were next without to much of a fuss and a quiet calm settled over the remaining members in the meadow.

Sesshoumaru could not see them, but he could hear them well enough. Rin's laughter was laud and clear. He felt himself relax in an odd way. Tension he didn't even know he had, seemed to melt away and he found himself leaning more firmly against his chosen tree.

Time flew by and the human switched places.

The slayer was half dozing in the shadows of the trees, desperately needing the rest, while the miko was happily chatting with the children playing in the flowers. Shippo had a sneezing fit after Rin shoved a bright yellow flower under his nose, making her giggle merrily. The miko joined in at the kit's disgruntled expression.

"What's the matter, Shippo?", Kagome laughed, "Don't you like getting flowers from a pretty girl"?

Shippo rubbed his nose and grinned, picking up another yellow flower and pressing it up against the miko's nose, "Here's a flower for the pretty girl!", he said playfully with a blushing Rin in the background.

The miko crossed her eyes trying to look at the flower that was literally in her face before taking it from Shippo with a small smile. "Thank you, Shippo", she leaned in a kissed his forehead. He beamed at the attention.

Sesshoumaru looked on with interest as Rin started to weave a crown made of wildflowers for both herself and the miko. Shippo didn't want to wear one but he tried his hands on one of his own, wanting to learn how to. So far he seemed to be creating a monstrosity.

He had always wondered about Rin's fascination with flowers. He had thought it strange how she would find joy from killing off weeds. At one time, just when he started caring for her, he had a theory it was to went off her frustration. Like he did when he went on one of his killing sprees.

But looking on the situation at hand he was wondering if they had some kind of social meaning for the humans. Maybe it was how they showed their status in the group or their favours? Rin always brought him flowers, perhaps it was her way of acknowledging her alpha? But then, why was she giving flowers to the miko instead of him?

"That's so pretty, Rin", the miko said and let the child place the crown on her head, "I feel like a princess now", she said and hugged Rin before giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.

Rin's giggles seemed brighter than usual, he mused. He watched her rub her cheek in a bashful manner when the miko declared that she would return the favour and make her the prettiest crown she had ever made.

Bemused he watched as the ritual was repeated. The crown, the thank you and the kiss.

"Hn, interesting", he thought when he caught the eyes of the miko. She gave him a hesitant smile before turning her attention back to the children.

Not even five minutes later he saw it again. Monstrous crown, thank you and the kiss.

"Hn"….

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_Note_: Sorry for the absence of updates! I'm a human with many faults. Tardiness is one of many.


	4. The Joy Of Slaughter

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Inuyasha.

_Authors Note_: It felt wrong to update _Stuttering_ while ignoring this story. I just whipped this up so I'm sorry about any typos you might notice.

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**Mindful Interest**

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_**Chapter Four**_

**The Joy Of Slaughter And Slob**

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Three heads, four bodies. _Oh, no wait, there it was_. It landed with a thud by Kagome's feet. The lizard demon looked straight at her and smiled wickedly before his eyes turned dim in death. After all the things she had seen, the head still creped her out. Maybe it was because some of the spinal cord was still attached and twitching like the tail of a cat, spattering small drops of unknown fluids everywhere.

"Focus", came the deep baritone, waking Kagome from her morbid fascination. She shook her head and straightened her spine. Bringing up her bow she notched another arrow. Sesshoumaru sneered. "The shard", his eyes seemed to add _stupid, _but she was thankful he didn't say it out loud. She felt kind of daft and gave a embarrassed laugh, "_Ugh, if Inuyasha could see me now", _thankfully he wasn't.

Clearing her throat she pointed to the chest of the leader, "It's right over there". The dead stare said enough. "Uh, right. I'll go get it".

Her legs moved awkwardly and she knelt down stiffly by the corpse. Sadly, once again her shortcomings were obvious, "Um, Sesshoumaru. Could you please help me take this off"? She was referring to the heavy armour covering the breast of the lizard. It was spiky and bloodied from the big hole Sesshoumaru had pierced through it's stomach. Her own curled nervously at the memory. He had looked far to sadistic for her liking in that moment.

She heard his even steps before she saw a pale hand move pass her head, reaching down at the hem of the horrible looking defence. She could feel the heat from the body beside her and her heart almost stopped. She was not comfortable being alone with the silent lord of the west. It was all for the good of the group though. She needed to remind herself why she had gone along with this. Not that she had much of a choice to begin with. The lizards had tried to overwhelm them with a pincher attack, which of course was ridiculous considering they had dog demons in their group. Inuyasha and the others took out the decoy while Sesshoumaru swept Kagome away to collect the shard. Oh, and gleefully _slaughter _and _maim_. He had worn the tiniest smile all the while.

She shivered.

One small tug with his pale, deadly hand and he bended the armour horribly out of shape without any effort. He withdrew slowly and backed away to watch her. Again.

"Thank you", Kagome never forgot her manners. No matter how uncomfortable she felt.

All she could do was to talk herself into action. Sesshoumaru was not judging her. Okay, maybe he was, but Kagome would not care! Okay, she did care. She was clumsy, but she got even clumsier when he was around, staring at her with eyes with judging slit pupils.

She tried to look at ease, well as much as a woman could while digging in the chest cavity of a corpse. The shard had dug itself deeper during the fight as if the taint had tried to escape her purity. She scoffed, that had never happened before. Ignoring both the smell, feel and the sounds of wet flesh under her hands, her fingers groped around until they found the shard. She closed her fist and withdrew.

A green scaly hand shoot up suddenly and gripped her by the elbow, trapping her arm in his body. Kagome yelped in surprise and tried desperately to pull away, but he held fast with a pained snarl and spat her in the face. Sesshoumaru stepped in and cut off his arm with a clean swipe of his whip, the lizard grinned, showing all of it's fangs at the priestess before him. Even though he had lost, he had fought till the end. Those were his last thoughts as Kagome managed to pull out her arm from his chest with the sickening wet slurping sound of his flesh. The shard, covered in blood, instantly glowed with purity, finally free from the lizards darkness as he turned into ashes in the wind.

She looked on with surprise as he disintegrated before her eyes, but it was short-lived when she felt the burning on her cheek that spread to her neck and collarbone. It started slowly but got hotter and hotter, until she could have sworn her face was sizzling as if he had spat pure acid.

"Aaah!", she cried out, squeezing her eyes shut she tried to remove whatever poison it was festering on her skin with her sleeve.

"Stop it", Sesshoumaru's firm voice cut in. He grabbed her by her bloodied arm and forced it away from her face, "You are spreading it even more". She tried, she really did try not to cry but the tears came anyway and she gave a pitiful whimper. He forcefully moved her head when she tried to curl in on herself, making her face the sun. If anything it felt as if the pain was intensifying.

He started at her collarbone and dragged his tongue all the way up to her eye, before repeating the process. Her bleary eyes blinked at his disgruntled face in surprise. "Sesshoumaru?", she breathed as she felt the tingling sensation replace the burn. "Quiet", he roughly pulled her face this way and that, licking her face, forcing Kagome to close her eyes in case he went too far. He licked her eyelids gently before moving on. Pausing, he hesitated with his breath ghosting over her collarbone. She wondered what he was doing, some part of her growing annoyed with the way his hair got stuck on her throat, tickling it, until his lips landed softly on her skin.

She opened her eyes, staring straight at the gray sky with a blush as his tongue once again stroked her skin.

He suddenly stopped.

She felt him stiffen. His hands rose to her shoulders, gripping them firmly, he pushed and Kagome fell over in her surprise. She caught herself just in time with her hands shakily, shocked even as she stared at Sesshoumaru's retreating back.

"The hanyou was victorious". He said in a monotone voice, listening to sounds she could not hear before walking back into the deeper recesses of the woods.

She rubbed her neck in disbelief. "Come", he commanded from the trees.

Sesshoumaru had just licked her clean from lizard spit, and now he acted as if nothing had happened?

Fine by her, but Kagome still couldn't stop herself from staring at his back all the way back to the meeting point. What was on her mind?

It was the brief moment where Sesshoumaru had rested his lips with a smirk against her sensitive spot.

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Thank you for reading as well for all the alerts and fav's. Makes me feel important. Wanted you know? Like coffee. Yes, like coffee and cream.

Have a good night. And may the late night fairy be with you!


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